Friends of UTokyo, Inc. (FUTI) extends its warmest congratulations to Professor Kenso Soai, Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Science and an alumnus of the University of Tokyo, on being awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. On October 7, 2026, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the prize is shared with Professor Henri B. Kagan “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.”
Professor Soai graduated from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo, in 1974 and pursued his doctoral studies in the Graduate School of Science. He is best known for the discovery of the “Soai reaction,” an asymmetric autocatalytic reaction in which a very small imbalance between two mirror-image forms of a molecule acts as a “seed” and is amplified, so that one form predominates. His work offers important insight into the origin of homochirality, the fact that the molecules of life occur in only one of two mirror-image forms, and has been recognized as significant for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
“We should celebrate that the first UTokyo graduate from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, has received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry!” says the FUTI President, Iwao Ojima. “His achievements are based on ‘curiosity-driven research’, which is vital for academic research. Since my own research program included catalytic asymmetric synthesis and itsmechanistic studies, I have known both Dr. Soai and Dr. Kagan very well personally for a long time (since the 1970s). I found this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry selection quite refreshing, because the Nobel Committee recognized purely academic research on homochirality and autocatalysis, which are critical issues in chemical evolution to the origin of life.” He also added, “Dr. Soai’s dedication to curiosity-driven academic research is truly impressive, and the next-generation scientists should learn its importance from him.”
FUTI is proud to celebrate Professor Soai’s outstanding achievement. For more information, please see the announcements from the Nobel Prize and the UTokyo Department of Chemistry.